National Women’s History Month: Breaking Barriers

Women’s History Month
Breaking Barriers

When it comes to being a person of color in Hollywood, it’s never been easy. Even today there is still a troubling lack of non-white faces on the silver screen as demonstrated by last year’s #Oscarsowhite viral campaign. Now, add being a woman in the mix and go back in time over 60 years…yeah. As I said, not easy. Despite the innate difficulties faced by women of color hoping to shine in an environment so ready to cast them into the shadows, they have always been there, eager to break down the barriers keeping them from realizing their full potential.

Last year I wrote an article about one of these women. Turner Classic Movies was in their second year of Trailblazing Woman programming and I wanted to write about it. The theme I chose was breaking barriers and the actress I focused on: Anna May Wong. But now, I regret that decision. Not writing about Wong, of course – everyone should know her story. What I regret is that I ONLY wrote about Wong. You see, TCM’s night of barrier breaking women included four other women. And for some reason I only focused on one. SMH.

Luckily, most mistakes can be remedied and I’ve decided to do just that. So, for the month of March, which also happens to be Women’s History Month (FYI), I will be writing of those trail blazing women whose work crossed the color lines and smashed the glass ceiling. In addition to the post about Anna May Wong, the series will feature these four lovely ladies: